Incubus
by earthfire75
Summary: After saving a planet from outside forces, the Doctor and Rose stay for the celebration. But unknowingly catch the attention of an Incubus demon. (Please note that there is a mild non-con warning, simply due to the nature of Incubi)
1. Chapter 1

Kentoral stands in the shadows, watching. His eyes roam the ballroom and caress over every female within. None hold his interest for long, but he needs to feed soon. His hunger becoming painful and he was getting weak and desperate. He'd have to choose one of them before the night is over. The crowd parts for a moment and he catches sight of a particularly delectable looking pink and yellow morsel. If he's reading her sacral energy right, she could satisfy him for years, as long as he's careful. She's ripe for the picking, it's almost too perfect.

There's just one small problem…she seems to have a watchful guardian of some type.

The man watches her like a hawk, despite his best efforts to hide his attentions. _'Oh, what is that?'_ Kentoral thinks to himself. He can see the longing in the other man's eyes when she's not looking. '_Oh, the pain. Another possibility on my menu. Delicious!'_

He's talking some technical nonsense to a few locals about their planetary defense systems. _'Twaddle'_, Kentoral snorts. If they think their worst problems came from off world, they have another thing coming. Oh, he's got no love for most of his demonic brothers and sisters, but he's not going to be stupid enough to get in their way when all hell broke loose either. Hell? Heh, excuse the pun… He was looking for a way off this world, to be honest, and with a long, hungry look at her, thinks he's found his ticket.

But first the fun in getting to her.

Rose has been standing dutifully beside the Doctor for over an hour as he talks about the planet's kelminium refracter beam, which is way over her head. She's dressed up for this, because the locals simply wouldn't let them go back to the Tardis and move on. So now she's got this leather halter dress with matching long sleeved bordello and high heel sandals. She wants to dance. If she was going to be stuck wearing this get-up for the rest of the night, damn it, she was going to have some fun. But of course, the Doctor wasn't being cooperative. Fine. She turns to him, determined look on her face.

"I'm going to go dance," she states, matter of fact, and goes out to the dance floor.

Kentoral watches as the blonde woman moves out to the dance floor. Alone. He smiles to himself as he catches his opportunity. Briefly, he turns his eyes to the other man who had been watching her and noted he still was. Perhaps more intently now. He smirks. Good, let the fool watch. He makes his way to her, brushing his fingertips over her shoulder, making the caress seem unintentional. Startled, Rose turns, staring up at him wide-eyed and open mouthed. He swallowed hard trying to restrain himself. She was even more beautiful up close and it had been a long, long time since a human woman affected him so much. Her scent and warmth wrapping around him like a blanket. Then there was the desire to not only consume, but to be consumed by her.

"Forgive me, miss. I didn't mean to frighten you." He gave her an easy smile and bowed slightly.

"S'alright. Name's Rose." She eyes him up and down, taking in his handsome features and smiles back at him.

His lips widen and bows to her again, a bit deeper, taking her hand lightly in his and brushes his lips to the backs of her knuckles. "My name is Kentoral."

The music in the background ends only to pick up again with a slow, even beat.

"Would the lady care to tango?" he purrs as he holds out his hand to her.

Rose blushes in embarrassment and looks away. "I…don'tknowhow," she rushes out in a breath.

He chuckles low in his chest and gently takes her hand in his again, pulling her to him. "I can teach you, Delicate Flower. It's quite easy to learn."

She blushes again, but rather than averting her eyes, she looks up at him through her eyelashes and a teasing tongue touched smile. "Yeah, alright. Show me your moves."

_Oh, I'll show you my moves alright,_ he thought with wicked delight. _And if I'm lucky, you'll have a trick or two to teach me._ Tugging on her hand still held in his, he pulled her into the frame of his arms and wrapping his arm around her waist, hand resting between her shoulder blades. His hold was loose but firm on her back, pressing her against his chest as he looks deeply into her eyes.

"Mirror my stance. This dance begins, and mostly remains in an embrace. It has been called 'The Dance of Lovers'." Rose straightens her posture and rests the hand he's not holding on his shoulder. He smiles down at her and takes a small step back.

"Follow my lead. The most basic steps are just walking. A step forward, a step back. But it's one of the freer form styles of dance you'll ever find. Feel the music. Feel me, the steps I take, and follow my lead," he whispers seductively in her ear.

Seemingly spellbound, eyes locked with his, Rose nods her head and relaxes in his arms, allowing him to lead her around the room. Slowly, he shows her the steps and reassures her when she messes up and encourages her when she gets it right. By the time the song was over, Rose has mastered the basics.

"You're a quick study. Care to take the advanced class?" his lips drip with honey, wriggling his eyebrows at her. She giggles a bit and nods.

"Yeah," she answers with more confidence this time.

Kentoral looks over her head, noticing the man who was with her watching them intently, ignoring everyone else around him including the small group he had been talking to. The other man's eyes narrow at him, but has yet to move from where he stands.

"Are you sure your lover won't mind?"

"No. I mean, he's not my lover." He notes the disappointment in her voice.

"Husband?"

Rose shakes her head. "No. We're not…we're not like that. Just friends. Maybe he's a bit over protective. But we're just friends."

Inwardly, he smiles, but looks at her with something close to sympathy as he leads her into a spin and dips her low when she comes back in.

"But you want more than that, don't you? You want more than his eyes on you." He can smell her arousal build as she thinks about just what she wants, making his own harder to hide. He turns her so her back is to his front, resting his left hand low on her stomach. He brings her right hand up to rest on the back of his neck and slowly slides the fingertips of his own right hand down the underside of her arm and down her side. Her back arches slightly and her head lolls back to drop to his shoulder, eyes close as she seems to lose herself[BM1] .

"I can be him for you. I can be anyone or anything you want." He brings his hand back up, brushing the side of her breast as he travels it up to find her palm and turns her to face him again.

Kentoral then encourages her to wrap both her arms around his neck as he drifts his left hand back on her lower back and then grips her left leg, gently pulling it up over his hip and begins to walk backwards, Rose's right leg dragging behind her, as he draws slow circles onto her thigh.

"He won't touch you like I will. He wants to keep you all to himself, but he won't fulfill your needs and desires. And such desires you have, Delicate Flower. He doesn't deserve you and he's a fool for denying you. I won't deny you anything," he whispers sweetly, brushing his lips along the shell of her ear. Suddenly he realizes, a bit to his surprise, his promises aren't as empty as they usually are.

He reluctantly lets go of her leg and clasps her hand again, pressing his lips to her warm, soft wrist as they continue to move together along the dance floor. He catches a glimpse of the man she is with just before they disappear into the crowd of other dancers, and if the storm that's brewing behind his eyes is any indication, he'll be coming for Rose soon.

"Kiss me," he beseeches her. She tilts her head up and he lowers his, but he's miscalculated how long it will take her self-imposed guardian to reach them. The Doctor grabs Rose's wrist and pulls her back behind him leaning in close to Kentoral.

"Mine!" he growls dangerously soft, a hint of murder on the trace of his breath, and so low only Kentoral can hear.

"What the hell are you doin'?!" Rose yells.

"It's late, Rose. You should get some sleep," he answers lamely, voice trailing off as he realizes his position, but he keeps his eyes on Kentoral, who only stares back.

For a second Rose stares at the back of his head in disbelief but then her pride kicks in and her blood runs hot. She rounds her shoulders and pulls her wrist out of his hand. "I'm not five, Doctor! Stop treatin' me like a child! You can't act that jealous and not…an' you don't!"

The Doctor whips his head around toward her and sees her eyes shining with unshed tears, and he knows he's screwed up, again. He tries to reach for her hand, but she turns on her heel and walks away. He looks back at Kentoral, shooting him a glare before running after Rose. Kentoral followed, keeping his distance. For now.

"Rose. Rose!" the Doctor calls after her, but she keeps walking down the corridor. They're nearing their rooms and Rose pulls the key card to hers out of her purse. She reaches her door only a second before he gets there. She's just about to slide the key card to open the door when she feels his warmth behind her. It's odd, she thinks, he doesn't radiate heat like a human would. But she shakes off her train of thought.

The Doctor skids to a stop behind Rose, gripping the door frame. Her back is turned toward him so she doesn't see how his fingers dig into the door frame as he tries to maintain some semblance of control. It's a monumental task considering he's staring down at her neck and wanting noting more than to plant his lips there and leave his mark[BM2] . To take her long and hard against the doorframe, here and now. Damn the consequences.

"Rose." He speaks her name like a prayer, voice husky and coming from deep within his chest. "Rose, I'm sorry."

She can feel his breath next to her ear and closes her eyes, praying he does something, anything to quiet her doubts, to prove Kentoral wrong. But then his breath is gone and she can't feel him behind her anymore. Rose looks over her shoulder to see him standing a bit further back, hands in his pockets and looking down at his trainers. He at least has the decency to look contrite. She wishes he… but it's clear to her he isn't going to do or say anything further without her prompting. If she was honest with herself, she was tired of dancing around their feelings and being the one to open up first. Not like he was ever going to tell her just how he feels anyway. She turns back to the door and opens it. Stepping in before she faces him again; she can see the expectant look in his eyes. It's nearly enough to make her give in when Kentoral's words came back to her.

_'He won't touch you like I will. He wants to keep you all to himself, but he won't fulfill your needs and desires.'_

"Good night, Doctor," she states matter of fact, tone unwavering and she lets the door close in his face. She kicks off her shoes and drops her purse on the desk against the wall and walks to the ensuite.

Panic shows in the Doctors eyes as he realizes she simply let go of the door knob and let it slam shut in his face. He wanted to beg her to let him stay with her. Of all the times to be given separate rooms, why now?

"Rose?!" he squeaks, but she ignores him. His shoulders slump in defeat as he hears the ensuite door slam shut. With hearts heavy as stone, the Doctor quietly shuffles his feet toward his own room, collapsing on the bed and curling in on himself, wrapping his arms tightly around a pillow as if sheltering something precious. But it doesn't hold her warmth or her scent. As much as he wanted to shut himself off, he couldn't keep his ears from pricking at every sound, listening for her.

Rose showers and pulls out a shirt from her pack. The locals had actually allowed her to go back to the Tardis and pack an overnight bag. What she so boldly packed for a night shirt is one of the Doctor's oxfords. The dark blue one she's always favored, which the Tardis had provided for her. Normally she wouldn't have, but normally, they were forced to share a room. She pulls the shirt on and buttons it up most of the way, leaving a little cleavage showing. She doesn't bother with knickers. Mad as she is at the Doctor, she knows her thoughts will eventually wander before she falls asleep.

Sure enough, her mind drifts to the Doctor and what she'd like him to do to her. But other, unbidden thoughts of Kentoral and the dances they shared came to the forefront of her mind as well. She can't stay focused strictly on either man and knows she whispers both names as she worked herself into release.

Kentoral doesn't so much hear Rose call out his name as feels it. She has summoned him and he smiles to himself eagerly and walks down the stretch of hallway that leads to her room. It's like instinct, to find the one who summoned an incubus. Even without her scent wafting down the corridor he could have found her. He takes to the shadows and melds with them so he can slide under the doorframe and enter her room. He lingers there for a moment more before making his way under her bed sheets and solidifies his form above her. Taking the finger she just had pumping into her core a moment ago into his mouth, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he hums appreciatively. He looks down as he releases her finger with a pop and sees her eyes are closed tight and her body is ridged.

He leans over her, supporting his weight with one hand while drawing soft circles into her thigh with the other as he whispers honeyed words into her ear, "Relax, my Delicate Flower. Open your eyes and see your heart's desire."


	2. Chapter 2

Slowly, Rose opens her eyes one at a time. For a moment her expression is almost blank and Kentoral wonders who she sees.

"Doctor?"

Ah.

Kentoral only nods at her as he gathers his thoughts and tries to hide his disappointment that it's not him she wants. Suddenly, he feels her open hand strike hard against his cheek and it stings, both physically and emotionally. When she raises her hand again, Kentoral flinches, but she didn't slap him this time. Instead, her trembling fingers soothe over the burning spot she left. He closes his eyes at the sensation, shuddering in pleasure as he leans into her touch.

At the sound of Rose taking in her own shuddering breath, a breath he knows isn't from pleasure, Kentoral opens his eyes and looks down at her. Tears gathered in her eyes and were spilling from their corners. He slides a hand behind her back, doing his best to stroke her shirt covered skin in comfort, while he cups the back of her head with the other, entangling his fingers in her hair. Kentoral leans forward and kisses her tears away.

Rose tangles her fingers in his silky tresses, directing his mouth to cover hers as she tries to raise herself up to press her body closer to his. Kentoral lowers his body, pressing her into the mattress, making Rose gasp as she feels his erection grind into her hip. He takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Tilting his head for the perfect angle, Kentoral caresses her tongue with his, stroking her mouth to ecstasy. When he rolls his hips into hers, he swallows her moan just before she breaks their kiss, panting.

Undeterred, Kentoral sensuously kisses along her jawline, down her neck and across the exposed parts of her collar bone. His hands move out from under her and smooth over her shoulders as his mouth continues a path down to the first closed button of her shirt. Using only his tongue and teeth, he popped open the buttons of her shirt until it falls away from her front side and looks down at her in awe.

Unbidden thoughts of a slightly older woman with the beginnings of a baby bump come to the forefront of Kentoral's mind, and for the briefest of seconds, he sees her spread out before him instead of Rose.

_'Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay_

_Were layed spread out before me as her body once did._

_All of five horizons revolved around her soul as the Earth to the Sun,_

_Now the air that I tasted and breathed has taken a turn.'_

"You're beautiful," he whispers.

He understands now why he chose her as he gently places a shaking hand over her abdomen and his whole body trembles when he feels her empty womb.

_'And all I taught her was everything_

_Oh, I know she gave me all that she was.'_

Tears he can't hold back streak down his cheeks as he bends forward again and reverently kisses her womb as he whispers names in an ancient and alien language Rose can't understand.

_'I take a walk outside, I'm surrounded by some kids at play  
I can feel their laughter, so why do I sear?_

_And twisted thoughts that spin round my head  
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning  
How quick the sun can, drop away'_

Kentoral covers her body with his as Rose's arms wrap around his waist pulling him closer to her as he wraps one of his own around her, his other finding her hair again and buries his face in the crook of her neck. He almost says _her_ name, but he catches himself as even the thought of it stabs pain through his long dead heart.

"I need you. I always need you. Please, my love. My Delicate Flower, take me inside of you. Fix me," he implores her, his voice broken and vulnerable.

_'And now my bitter hands cradle the broken glass of what was everything_

_All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything…'_

Rose reaches between them as she opens herself to him and strokes along his length twice before swiping her thumb over the tip to spread the pre-come gathered there and guides him into herself. Kentoral buries himself in her moist heat, realizing she's become as much an illusion for him as he is for her. He moves inside her slow and hard, shuddering against her in both pleasure and pain as memories he had buried long ago come flooding back.

_'All the love gone bad turned my world to black_

_Tattooed all that I see, all that am, all that I'll be.'_

His vision blurs and he knows he's losing control. He grips her shoulders and thrusts harder, faster and deeper into her as her cries of pleasure fill his ears. Her fingernails rake down his back as her muscles tighten around his length and he reaches between them to rub tight circles into her clit until she comes apart around him. When he spills into her, Kentoral pulls himself up on his knees, bringing her with him and holding her tightly to his chest, biting into her shoulder as he tries to swallow his tears. Rose embraces him in her arms, rubbing his back in comfort.

The Doctor lay in his bed, still hugging the pillow tightly to his chest when he hears Rose's voice coming from the next room. He can hear her cries of pleasure and closes his eyes tight, wondering who's with her, giving her what he wouldn't allow for either of them. Is it the man she had been dancing with? Would she leave him now? Or worse…want this other man to travel with them? No, not worse, but maybe just as bad. To have to watch her be happy with another would kill him, but at least she would still be a part of his life. He'd rather live with the heartache of knowing she would never be his than not live with her in his life at all.

_'I know someday you'll have a beautiful life_

_I know you'll be the star in somebody else's sky_

_But why, why, why can't it be, can't it be mine?'_

He's always known it would happen one day, had always feared it. But it had never been this tangible before. He had to push those thoughts out of his head before he drives himself even madder. But just as he's about to turn away from the wall and try to shut out the erotic sounds she's making, he hears an impassioned cry of his name. _His_ name. Not someone else's. He thinks back a moment and realizes he never heard her door after she had gone in. Is she…to thoughts of him? He reaches a hand toward the wall and rests the flat of his palm there. He shouldn't be entertaining thoughts of her lying naked, hand between her legs, where he should be…

"Rose?" he calls to her, voice low and barely above a whisper. "Rose…are you thinking of me, Rose?"

When he hears a resounding and impassioned "yes!" from her side of the wall, he has to turn his hips into the mattress to relieve the pressure in his suddenly too tight trousers. Knowing he won't be able to simply will his erection away this time, the Doctor quickly undresses, tossing his clothes haphazard to the floor. He replaces his palm on the wall and presses himself once more into the mattress, arm around the pillow he had been holding and pulls it again to his chest. Nothing in this room holds her warmth or scent, but he can still pretend. He can pretend she's spread out under him, legs wrapped around him, warm, wet, tight muscles gripping him and pulling him into her.

"What…what do you want, Rose? Tell me."

"More…I want more! Please!" he hears her plead and his hips surge forward, seemingly of their own will. His hips move in time to her moans and sighs and gasps, reacting to her cries of yes, and more and harder, until her final cry of release. And he reacts to that as well before he can stop himself.

900 years old and he can't manage to control himself just because a human female in the next room is secreting pheromones and calling out his name. A nineteen year old human female. Just because it's Rose shouldn't mean anything.

With shaking limbs, the Doctor pushes himself off the bed and strips off the sheets, tossing them to the floor by the foot of the bed before heading to the ensuite. He turns on the tap and adjusts the temperature before turning the dial for the shower and steps in, letting the water pound into his back as he rests his forehead on the cooler tile of the wall. A tear streaks down his cheek and he can just hear his 9th self.

_'Time Lords don't cry.' _Even though he knows he did cry once in his 9th body.

"Yeah, well Time Lords don't dry fuck their beds either, but we just did, didn't we?" No response from any of his former selves as he backed up to stand more fully in the cascading water. Slowly, he went through the motions of cleaning up as his mind turned unbidden to what he had heard and done not moments before. He wanted to make her make those sounds. Properly. Not resign her to using her own hand, or Rassilon forbid, finding someone else to satisfy her needs. But could he really give in like that? Could he let down the walls enough to let her in completely? Should he? He knows he'll still lose her one day, either because she'll get tired of the constant traveling, or she'll die.

"Why can't I just tell her? Why do I keep doing this to her? To us?" he asks no one in particular.

_'Because we're terrified. We're scared. Of loving her, of losing her. That we don't deserve her. And we don't. But she made you. You exist as you do because of her love. Because of what we mean to her. Don't wait too long though, pretty boy. Because one day she will die and then what? You think it's gonna be easier then, if we never tell her? Never touch her? It won't. Might be worse. So don't screw this up, pretty boy. We need her and you know it.'_

He scrubs his hands down his face and drags one through his hair as he lets out a harsh breath. Right, then. He turns off the water and wraps a towel around his hips as he steps out of the shower, heading back into the main room. He doesn't bother trying to go to sleep now, but towels off and redresses. Moving toward the desk in the room, he finds a pen and paper and begins writing a list of sorts.

A couple of hours before dawn, Kentoral reluctantly slipped out of the bed he had shared with his memories. But the woman lying on the bed next to him was warmer than that. She was real even if the illusions they had both been guilty of invoking and indulging in weren't. He found his clothes piled at the foot of the bed and dressed before taking to the shadows again and exited her room to go find the flower garden outside. He searched for the perfect pink roses and the purest white jasmine, carefully picking a few and fashioning a circlet out of them, making sure to break off the thorns of the roses.

When he had finished, Kentoral returned inside before the sun came up. Having to avoid sunlight as a demon was, at times, extremely inconvenient. He could go out in it if he had to, but he had to be well covered, if it touched his skin, he'd combust. Not the way he'd prefer to go out, ta. He found his way back down the hallway that lead to Rose's room after a sufficient amount of time had passed and knocked on her door. When he didn't answer, he knocked again a little louder. This time, she opened the door.

She stood there in her hastily buttoned up shirt and jeans, her blonde hair tousled from sleep and their lov…no. That's not what it was, hard as he wishes it had been. He'd tricked her into believing that he was another man. That wasn't love, nor was it likely to help him convince her that he did love her. Did he? Did he love her? Or was it the illusion she offered him that he loves?

"Kentoral?" she asked sleepily and he smiles at the sound of her voice. "What'er you doin' up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep, kept thinking about you," he sighs, "Did I wake you?"

Rose blushes. "Yeah, but I'm used to it. The Doctor's always waken' me up b'fore the sun's even up."

"I'm sorry." He fidgets with the circlet of flowers in his hands. "I should let you get back to sleep."

"S'ok. Don't be sorry. I'm surprised he hasn't come in and started jumping on my bed like the 5 year old I swear he is sometimes." She sees the circlet he keeps fidgeting with. "What's that?" she asks as she nods toward his hands.

"Oh, I made this for you. To say thank you for the dance last night." He lifts it up between his hands and places it carefully on her head. Rose gives him her tongue-touched smile and it takes all his willpower not to snog her.

"Those are roses, yeah? Won't I get pricked from the thorns?"

He laughs. "They are roses and jasmine, and no, you won't. I broke off the thorns before I made them into a circlet." He pauses and moment and then holds out his arm to her. "Walk with me?"

"Yeah, ok. And…thank you. For…for the flowers." Rose takes Kentoral's arm and he beams down at her as they walk back down the corridor and into the ballroom, finding a bench to sit on and he's quiet for a long time, simply watching her when she isn't looking. Finally, Rose breaks the silence.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asks as little bolder than she feels.

"I had a question, actually. But I'm not sure how to ask it. Neither of you know me, and I don't want to impose…"

"You want to come with us, yeah? When we leave?

"Yes. If you have the room and it's not too much trouble. I can be useful, even."

"Well, I'll have to ask the Doctor. It's his ship, after all."

"Right, of course."

It's then that they hear the Doctor calling for Rose and she goes to the end of the hallway to let him know she's awake and out in the ballroom. The Doctor walks up to her and rests his hands on her shoulders, smiling brightly down at her as takes in her disheveled appearance and the flowers in her hair. _Rassilon, she's beautiful_, he thinks to himself. His hands absently rub up and down her arms and she smiles up at him. He's relieved that she's no longer mad at him, but then he sees Kentoral sitting on the bench and his jealousy flares.

Rose nods in the other man's direction and looks back up at the Doctor. "He wants to come with us."

The Doctor's eyes widen, brows shooting up to his hairline. "What?!"


	3. Chapter 3

Once aboard the Tardis, Rose pulled Kentoral down the corridor, giving him a tour of the Time Ship. The Doctor stayed back in the console room, shoulders slumping as he heard them laughing. When they were out of earshot, he turned to the center console and began typing in sequences into the keyboard.

"Who is he? _What_ is he?" The Doctor wondered aloud.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hologram come to life and he turned to look, knowing he hadn't activated one. Before him stood the image of a dark haired woman in a rather distressed looking Victorian dress and shawl. The Doctor's brow furrowed as he stepped towards the image, eyeing it carefully. He doesn't remember creating this particular hologram.

The image looks at him impatiently, but speaks when his expression only becomes more confused. "This person is from your future. As for your previous questions….he's a demon. An incubus, specifically. That's _what_ he is. As for who he is, that might be a longer answer, though not necessarily more complicated. What do you want to know?"

The Doctor stared, dumb-founded for a moment until her words sank in. "What?! He…he's a demon? An _Incubus_?! And he's after Rose!" He began to move toward the corridor to find the demon and remove him from the Tardis.

"To be fair," the image said behind him, "he's after both of you. But yes, Rose is his main focus. His reasons are…not evil. Not good for us. But not harmful to our Flower. He's a strange little creature…" The image cocked her head in thought, as if trying to figure something out. "He was human once."

The Doctor had so many questions running through his head now he didn't know where he wanted to start. No, he did have an idea, at least. Rose was his first priority. "You said whatever he had planned wasn't harmful to Rose. What _does_ he want from her?"

Again the image tilted her head, eyes flitting back and forth, staring at nothing, until her head popped back upright. "Redemption."

Kentoral let himself be led by the hand down the corridor. The first door they came to was Rose's bedroom and he tried to hide his disappointment when she didn't invite him inside. Rather, she simply explained that she was showing him where it was in case he needed anything during the night and was unable to locate the Doctor.

"C'mon, I'll show ya the library. That's where we spend a lot of our time when we're not off travelin' and explorin'," she said as she pulled him further down the hall.

They came to a set of large engraved wood doors and Rose pushed them open. Inside was a rather impressive library. Shelves of books lined three and a half of the four walls. The fourth wall was mostly empty except for a large fireplace. Surrounding the fireplace was a sofa, two end tables and two overstuffed reading chairs that looked so soft he wanted to sink into them and rest his weary bones for a while. A coffee table sat in front of the sofa and a white bear-skin rug lay not far from the fireplace. At the sight of the last, another image of his wife plagued his mind, and a promise he had once made to her.

He turned his attention back to the shelves of books. Surely he could find something here to help him in his goals, couldn't he?

"I think I'm going to stay here for a bit, look for a book or two to read later. If that's ok." He smiled at her warmly so as not to alarm her.

"Yeah, ok. Are you lookin' for anything specific?"

"Oh, just some stuffy old books on religion. Quite boring, I assure you." He took a deep breath before continuing, "But I was studying it before. Just want to keep up."

"Wow…yeah, definitely boring," she laughs, "C'mon, I'll show you the religious section."

Rose leads Kentoral to the far corner of the library and pointed to four sections of shelving. "Every book the Doctor has on various religions are in those four shelves."

"Thank you," he said with a kind of gentle finality. It's not that he doesn't want her there with him, it's that he's afraid if she figures out what he's looking for and why, she'll tell this Doctor of hers. There was something about that man that told Kentoral that if anyone could stop him, it was the Doctor. There was something ancient and powerful he had detected in the other man. He also realized that this ship was at least semi-sentient and probing around in his mind. Kentoral quickly put up a mental block to keep her out.

"Welcome," Rose responded, but noted the finality of his 'thank you', even if he was trying to be nice about it. She turned to leave, making her way out of the library and down the corridor and back to the console room.

Once he heard the doors shut behind Rose, Kentoral began to search through all the books she had indicated. If he's being honest with himself, he isn't sure of what exactly he was looking for. He couldn't bring _her_ back from the dead without severe consequences, nor could he _make _Rose fall in love with him without the same results. He thought for a moment while looking the collection of books over. Could he somehow reverse his condition without dying or sending his soul back to Hell?

It might be worth it to look. It was still no guarantee though, even if he could make himself human again. There was no way of knowing for sure he could seduce Rose into falling for him. But then, he suppose, he should figure out if it was her he really wanted before he tried. Still, there was something about her that made him want to be better than he was. And that meant, in his eyes, becoming human again. To remember what it means to be human…

He found a couple of books on demons, one had a rather large section on succubi/incubi, one on exorcisms from varying religions, one or two on curses and even a couple of witchcraft books containing spells. Kentoral found himself a bit shocked to find those. He did not see the Doctor as the kind to carry witchcraft books within his library. Gathering the books in his arms, he left the library to find his room.

Upon entering the room and closing the door behind him, the books slipped from Kentoral's hands. His eyes went wide and jaw slackened as he watched, almost helplessly, as images unfolded in the mirror before him.

_I will never forget the moment when you looked into my eyes  
When I touched your skin for the first time, I felt heaven in my hands_

The first of these images where of himself and his, not yet, wife. They were young in this image, before they were married. It was also the night he first made love to her. The images were like moving pictures. He was literally watching it happen all over again.

_So I tried to close my eyes  
And I'm dreaming me away_

The next set was when he proposed to her, down on one knee, practically begging her to leave home to be his and promising her forever. Of course, then he had a different concept of forever. He couldn't afford a proper engagement ring then, so he had given her a scrap of fabric with his clan's crest sewn onto it.

_In my dreams you hold me tight  
In my dreams you're always here_

Two years later, they married in secret.

_I never want to wake up again  
Don't want to face reality_

That night, he brought her home. He was happy. For the first time in a long time, he was truly happy. They were happy. Laughter filled the air and her delighted squeals as he chased her around their small cottage until he caught her. He made love to her all that night until she could barely walk. And every night since.

Almost three years to the day, she told him she was with child.

_Once so far away from me  
But you will always be in my dreams_

She was in her fifth month when he had to leave, taking what crops they could spare into town to sell. He returned home two days later to find their home hand been over turned. He found her lying face down on their bed and he was terrified to roll her over to look at her.

Picking up something heavy from the surface next to him, Kentoral threw it at the mirror, shattering it. But not before he saw the image of his wife's dead eyes looking back at him.

A strangled cry of pain and anguish ripped from his throat as he fell to his knees. Shattering the mirror didn't stop his mind from reliving his next actions. He didn't bury her until the next day, unable to let go of her as he mourned her death.

After finally burying her the next day, in his grief, he had called to the Powers that be to aid him in seeking vengeance on his wife's murderers. Something answered him, but it wasn't at all what he had expected.

A moment later, there was a knock on his door. "Kentoral?" It was a woman's voice, soft and kind. His grief addled mind told him it was _her_, his wife, his Jasmine.

"Kentoral, are you alright?" she tried again, moving in front of him.

His eyes stung with the threat of tears and the lump that formed in his throat became too painful, but managed a sad smile as he looked up at her. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he rested his head on her abdomen.

"Jasmine…Forgive me, my delicate flower," he whispered, "I never… I never meant for this to happen. Not any of it. Especially not what I've become. I'll find a way, somehow, for us to be together again, my love. If…if you'll still have me…"

"Kentoral, look at me," Rose pushed gently on his shoulders to get him to look up, "S'me, Rose."

He nods against her as if in agreement with her, but the words he speaks next would say different. "That's who you are now, an incarnation of my Jasmine. A different body, even if it looks the same, even a different mind, perhaps. But the same soul. I just have to help you remember your last life, to help you remember me." Kentoral stands to look her in the eyes, only to flinch away, stumbling a couple steps back from her.

Her eyes shone gold as she glared at him. Pissing off a goddess wasn't on his list of things to do, yet somehow he'd managed it. Just his luck, too. Maybe she'd show some mercy and make it a quick death…

"I am not yours, never was yours," she snarled, "I was made for the Doctor and only the Doctor. I won't let you take me from him." To his surprise, her tone softened then. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I can't give her back to you."

Tentatively, Kentoral took a step toward her. It's not exactly what he had hoped to hear, but at least she didn't appear to intend to kill him on the spot. Maybe, if he could placate her, she'd be willing to make him human again, to take the curse away. He took the next step toward her that would place him directly in front of her again and reached up to cup her face gently in his hands and bent his head down to capture her lips in his. He hoped the bold move wouldn't offend her further, even if it was only a chaste kiss.

"It is time," she says calmly.

The Doctor's head snaps up from where it's resting in his hands. He'd resigned to sitting on the jump seat to wait since the Tardis blocked him from going and finding Rose. Now the image is gone and so is the wall his ship put up to keep him here in the console room.

"Time? Time for what?!" he asks, not that he waits for an answer. Of course, with the image gone, there's no one there to give him one either, not a direct one anyway. Instead, he feels a mental tug from the Tardis, something he's more used to from her. Although, right now, he thinks he would prefer a more direct answer.

The Doctor didn't have far to go. His, quite frankly, magnificent Time ship had moved the door just on the other side of the corridor. He opened the door with a flourish and just in time to witness Kentoral lean forward and kiss Rose.

He kissed Rose?

He kissed Rose!

The Doctor's brow furrowed and eyes narrowed, glowering at his house guest who was even more unwelcome now than he had been moments before. He took a large step forward to pull the other man off Rose, but she held up her hand as Kentoral pulled back from her. A wave of reassurance from the Tardis followed immediately after. While it didn't exactly calm him, he took a steeling breath and allowed whatever was about to happen unfold.

Kentoral lowered himself to the floor, kneeling before her now like a supplicant before a goddess incarnate. Its then that the Doctor notices Rose's eyes are glowing golden.

"Rose?" the Doctor asks tentatively, worry evident in his voice.

"S'alright, my Thief, she's safe. She won't burn up this time," Idris told him from somewhere behind Kentoral.

Rose kneels in front of the other man, hooking a finger under his chin and lifting it to make him look at her. "There's something else you want. Something you've been searching for just as long."

Kentoral swallowed hard, almost certain of her answer already. "I want…I want to be human again. To end this curse. I've hurt people, even one's who didn't deserve it," he laughed bitterly to himself, "Especially people who didn't deserve it. Despite learning to control it. I still took something from them that can never be given back."

"You'll die," she told him plainly, though not unkindly.

He let out the breath he had been holding shakily and nodded. "I know. I think I've always known. And…I'm ready," he exhaled another breath harshly, "Yes. I'm ready."

"Let me," the image of Idris speaks, only the image is no longer of Idris, but a woman who looks very similar to Rose. All three occupants of the room turn to look and burning tears spring to Kentoral's eyes. The first real tears he's shed since losing his wife and child that fateful night.

"Jasmine?"…

"No," she answers, "Only an image of your dear wife. We still cannot give you back your wife and child, and…you'll still die in body. But, if you so choose, we can grant your soul Elysium."

Kentoral turns more fully to the image of his wife. "I…I don't deserve it. Not after everything I've done, the people I've hurt." He looks down at the floor in shame.

The image and Rose look around Kentoral at each other with knowing and conspiratorial smiles. It steps toward Kentoral and seems to solidify. The image holds out its hand to him. "Come with me."

Kentoral stands and lets himself believe as he takes her hand. It's a bit of an odd feeling, solid as it is and knowing she's just an image. He laced his fingers with hers and let her lead him out of the room and down the corridor.

The Doctor watched them carefully as he moved away from the door enough to let them through. But his attention quickly turned back to Rose, who was now standing next to him, and looked her over. Her eyes were still shining golden. "Rose?"

She lifted her hand to cup his face. "Not yet, Time Lord. Idris and I have to finish this first. Then you can have your Rose back." She let her hand drop to his shoulder and let it slid down his arm to take his hand and lead him down the corridor much as the image had led Kentoral.

"Idiris?"

"Yes. It's your ships name. Or…will be your ships name… Sorry, I always get that mixed up."

The four of them stood next to the console, the time router's blue-green glow cast strange shadows. Its light being the brightest in the room as the time ship had dimed most of the rest to conserve her energy. She would need quite a bit of it to do this.

Rose joined Kentoral and the image of his wife at the center front of the console. The Doctor, for his part, stood by the jump seat, doing his best not to pull Rose away from the console. He knew they were going to open the Heart of the Tardis and all he could think about is what happened the last time she had done so. He feared the same would happen this time, even though Bad Wolf was clearly already inside Rose. His protective instincts were on overdrive, though he knew she wouldn't take kindly to his interfering, Bad Wolf or not.

The two women joined hands, loosely encircling Kentoral. "Close your eyes and concentrate on what you want," the image told him.

Rose smiled up at him. "I think we can do more than just save _your_ soul. You'll like the surprise waiting for you."

At first, Kentoral just closed his eyes as Idris had commanded, but then they snapped open and he looked at Rose. The meaning of her words reflected in her eyes. However, he did not get a chance to respond as the Heart of the Tardis opened, its golden light spilling forth toward Rose and Kentoral. The Doctor turned his eyes from it, despite not wanting to let Rose out of his sight.

To anyone who might have been looking, the light from the Heart of the Tardis wrapped itself around Kentoral, almost caressing him before finally enveloping him completely. It seemed to not touch either Rose or the image.

_Kentoral blinked his eyes open in an attempt to adjust them to the brighter light he suddenly found himself surrounded by. He began to panic a bit when his eyes wouldn't adjust right away._

_"Hush now, love," a woman said coming from beside him._

_He knew that voice well. "Jasmine?" He reached out for her and felt her hand take hold of his._

_"Aye, it's me love," she confirms and Kentoral sighs in relief as he feel her dab at his forehead with a cool cloth. Slowly his eyes adjust and he sits up to properly look at her._

_What happened?" she asks worriedly. "Someone broke into the house. I didn't know what to do so I hid under the bed, hoping they'd take whatever they were looking for and leave. But then I felt pain, then nothing. There was literally nothing for the longest time and somehow when I woke up it was as if no one else had been here. And…the baby was here, asleep next to me. I put him down in his crib and came back in here to find you asleep on the bed. Kentoral, I don't remember giving birth!"_

_He pulled her to him, holding her close and never wanting to let her go. How was he going to explain everything to her? "I'll tell you later, I promise. Right now, I want to make love to my wife and get to know my child. In that order."_

When it finally retreated back into the console, there was no trace of Kentoral at all.

Slowly the lights returned to normal and the Doctor opened his eyes again, seeking out Rose. She was still standing by the console, hand in hand with the image of Idris.

"My Thief worries for you Little Wolf. Go to him."

Rose turns toward the Doctor and smiles upon seeing him. He approaches her cautiously, seeing the golden light slowly leaving her eyes. She lifts her hands out to him.

"S'alight Doctor. Just me in here now."

The Doctor doesn't say anything, just pulls her into a tight embrace and kisses her temple. After a minute, she tries to pull back but he keeps his tight hold on her. She stops trying to break free and lets him hold her until he loosens up. When he finally does and they can properly look at each other, she sees something there he's never shown her before.

There's an odd storm in his eyes. Not the one he unleashes on those that make themselves his enemies. This is different. It's not cold or malicious, like the ice storm; the Oncoming Storm she's used to. This is warm, even a bit inviting. It makes her feel wanted and loved in a way she's never known before.

"May I kiss you?" he asks her tentatively.

Rose swallows thickly and nodded.

He lowers his head and slants his lips over hers. It's slow and gentle at first, if a bit awkward and sloppy. Soon they find a rhythm, mouths moving hungrily against each other as the Doctor begins to guide her backwards down the corridor to his room.

"Oh, Rose," he whispers against her lips, "I've wanted you for so long."


End file.
